in2ebook Chapter 115 The Poor and Kind Girl
Chapter 115 The Poor and Kind Girl
Follow Xu Cao to his residence.
A small wooden house not far from the seaside.
There are many shelves outside the wooden house, and some herbs are placed in the winnowing baskets on the shelves.
After taking a look, Rong Su thought, is this Xu Cao a doctor?
Xu Cao seemed to notice Rong Su's gaze, and started explaining to her without waiting for Rong Su to ask.
"A few years ago, I learned from the old doctor in the village. It wasn't to save money on medical expenses, but it was better to learn on my own so that I can treat myself. In the future, I can treat any illness, big or small, by myself."
After hearing this, Rong Su crossed her arms, clicked her tongue, and whispered, "Who asked you that?"
Xu Cao knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't get angry when Rong Su treated him like this. He smiled innocently and replied, "I just wanted to say it. Just treat me as talking to myself."
"Well, please come in. My humble room is not as comfortable as the houses in the village. You can just stay here for now."
After entering the cabin, although Xu Cao described his house as very simple, everything inside was arranged in an orderly manner, with a stove in the middle.
The whole house was spotless, and it was obvious that he cleaned it frequently on a daily basis. Although the house was small, it was very clean and exuded a simple and comfortable atmosphere.
Rong Su glanced at Xu Cao's unruly and sloppy appearance again. She didn't expect that this man was dressed so dusty and sloppy. His house was quite clean.
Seeing Xu Cao brought a chair, Rong Su didn't bother to be polite with him. After sitting down, she asked directly: "Now it's okay, tell me where Xue Qicao is."
Shen Peiqing thanked Xu Cao for the chair he brought and sat down. Then he looked at Xu Cao, waiting for his reply.
Xu Cao, who was sitting opposite them, stroked his stubble and pretended to think before speaking. He didn't look like he was teasing her, but rather seemed sincere.
"I know where the Snow Seven Grass is, but you can't find it now. Also, if you go looking for it now, herbs rarely survive in winter. Little girl, you're a doctor, you should understand."
Upon hearing this, Rong Su couldn't help but think, could it be that I missed the trip this time? Is there really no Snow Seven Grass in this season?
I originally wanted to try my luck. After all, Snow Grass grows in humid areas, and the coastal areas are not very cold in winter. Maybe I would be lucky enough to get one or two. Just one would be enough.
Seeing that Rong Su had frowned and looked lost and distressed, Xu Cao still felt a little embarrassed about the fact that he had deliberately teased Rong Su just now, so when he saw her sad, he wanted to make it up to her and help her solve the problem.
Thinking about it, Xu Cao said, "How about this, there's a place where you might be able to find Snow Seven Grass, but you need to wait. If you go there now, you won't be able to get in."
"Why? What does this mean?"
Rong Su was a little anxious. She just wanted to find Xue Qicao as soon as possible, and then return to Xuancheng quickly to wait for Rong Yingxin. She was afraid that she would waste too much time here.
Seeing Rong Su's anxiety, Xu Cao did not hide anything but told her the truth.
"That place is called the Saltwater Cave. Those villagers were right. Some of the Seven Snow Grass grows in the water cave. At this time of year, the seawater may appear warmer than the shore, but it's actually still cooler than in summer. However, it's different in the water cave. So some of the Seven Snow Grass should still be growing there."
Hearing these words, Rong Su was even more puzzled: "You still haven't explained why we can't go in at this time? It's just that the water temperature is a little low. It doesn't matter. I have a solution."
She had been to the bottom of the lake before, and the temperature was extremely cold at that time, so she had already learned from Yuan Shen how to make the Burning Heart Pill.
"Don't be impatient. I haven't finished yet." Seeing that Rong Su was really anxious and didn't even wait for him to finish speaking, Xu Cao couldn't help but reveal a helpless expression.
Rong Su was naturally anxious. If she let Rong Yingxin go just to find Xue Qicao, wouldn't that be a loss for her?
I should have waited for Rong Yingxin first, but Shen Peiqing's illness can't be delayed any longer.
She was in a dilemma and sometimes wondered if she could do two things at the same time. It was indeed difficult for one person to do both.
"Senior, please continue." Shen Peiqing glanced at Rong Su, and seeing her impatient expression, he asked Xu Cao on her behalf.
Xu Cao sighed and felt that there was not enough charcoal in the stove, so he got up and went to find some charcoal and put some in. Then he picked up a shovel and pushed the charcoal in the stove.
After finishing all this, he sat down again and said softly, "There's a reason why I said you couldn't get in at this time. Because the saltwater cave is filled with seawater at high tide, even if you went in, you wouldn't be able to get in. The seawater is very salty, and the water temperature is low right now. If you go in now, you might not be able to find the Snow Seven Grass and even lose your life."
Xu Cao didn't quite agree with them going now, and was obviously worried about their lives.
After hearing what he meant, they both fell silent, recalling the scene of looking for the Blood Lotus of Quanshan.
Shen Peiqing glanced at Rong Su again, then turned his gaze away and continued to ask, "I've read some books about the sea. The sea has high tides and low tides. So when does the tide go out?"
When Xu Cao mentioned this, he seemed to understand and answered, "The ebb and flow of the seawater is calculated based on the date. The time from the first to the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and the time after the fifteenth day, is different."
Xu Cao lowered his head and thought for a moment, probably calculating the time. After a while, he said, "Today's high tide is at yin and shen, and low tide usually falls three hours after low tide. Now is high tide, so even if you want to go, you'll have to wait two hours."
According to what Xu Cao said, it means that it is impossible to get Snow Seven Grass today.
Rong Su gradually calmed down her anxiety. Perhaps it was because she would get anxious whenever she encountered Rong Yingxin's problems, but now she could only calm down. It was useless to be anxious, so she could only wait.
Xu Cao looked at Rong Su and asked, "So, little girl, I still think it's not safe to go to the Saltwater Cave late at night. Why don't you wait until tomorrow when the tide goes out?"
Rong Su had this idea in mind, but she was still angry because of Xu Cao's previous pranks. She said with a dull face, "I know what to do. No need for you to remind me."
Seeing that Rong Su was still angry, Xu Cao smiled awkwardly and changed the subject: "By the way, I haven't formally introduced myself yet. My name is Xu Cao, and I'm just a barefoot doctor. Of course, I'm only half-baked, so I can't compare to you, little girl."
He was making fun of himself in his words, as if he wanted to make Rong Su happy.
But Rong Su didn't find this funny at all. However, after thinking about it, she realized that it was useless to blame Xu Cao for being angry, so she softened her tone a little: "My name is Rong Su."
Shen Peiqing also gave his name: "Junior is Shen Peiqing."
"Okay, it's getting late, so I'll go find Xiao Lianxin and ask her to cook a few more dishes. Oh, and by the way, Xiao Lianxin is a gentle and kind girl who lives not far next door. You can go to her place to rest for the night."
After Xu Cao finished speaking, he left the wooden house with a smile.
After the wooden house became quiet, neither Rong Su nor Shen Peiqing spoke.
At this time, Rong Su noticed that Shitou was gone, so she asked, "Where did Shitou go?"
When Shen Peiqing heard this, he replied calmly, "I asked him to do something."
Then silence fell again.
Rong Su was now thinking about finding Xue Qicao as soon as possible and then returning to Xuancheng. She had no time to think about anything else, so naturally she had nothing to say to Shen Peiqing.
However, Shen Peiqing had something to say, but he didn't know how to say it, so the two of them just sat there quietly.
Rong Su took a shovel and stirred the charcoal in the stove, and the flames burned more vigorously.
At this time, Shen Peiqing suddenly spoke up: "After finding the Snow Seven Grass, do you still need to go to the northwest to look for the Hundred Bitter Ginseng like you did when you came to Wanyue Village?"
Thinking Shen Peiqing's question was nonsense, Rong Su stirred the shovel again: "Don't you want to heal your meridians? Don't you want to recover your internal strength?"
The question was thrown to Shen Peiqing. He only hesitated for a moment, looked at Rong Su, and said softly: "What I mean is, I will go find the Hundred Sophora Fermentosa. You don't need to go there."
The hand stirring with the shovel paused, and Rong Su suddenly smiled and continued stirring: "Can you identify herbs? I'm worried. What if you find something other than Hundred Sophora Flavescentis? That would be a waste of my time. My time is so precious, can you afford to waste it?"
This was a bit unpleasant to say, but Shen Peiqing didn't care. He just didn't want Rong Su to take the risk because some of his people seemed to have heard that a strange and fatal disease was spreading in the northwest.
"I don't know how to recognize herbs, but I can learn." He said this after careful consideration. Originally, treating the meridians was his own business, but she helped him in this way because he had reached a deal with Rong Su before. Now that her safety was involved, he could no longer completely turn a blind eye.
Completely confused as to why Shen Peiqing was so obsessed with this matter at this moment, Rong Su put down the shovel in her hand, raised her head and looked at him, frowning: "Shen Peiqing, do you think it's that easy to learn to identify herbs?"
With the experience of Magnolia, Shen Peiqing believed that identifying herbs was not difficult. With his memory that could read ten lines at a glance, it was common for him to read ten books a day.
"As long as I am willing to learn, nothing is difficult."
Seeing Shen Peiqing so confident, Rong Su smiled coldly: "Okay, then I will teach you. It depends on whether you have the talent. But let me say this in advance, don't think that if Yulan can do it in a few months, you can definitely do it. For some things, talent is important, but hard work and time are also important. It's impossible to reach the top in just a few days."
Shen Peiqing could hear Rong Su's suspicion and ridicule towards him, but none of this mattered, as long as Rong Su wasn't so determined to go to the northwest for the time being.
“I may not be confident about other things, but when it comes to studying, I believe I can’t lose to anyone.”
Seeing that Shen Peiqing was really overconfident and even a little arrogant, Rong Su couldn't help but sneer in her heart, and then said: "Let's talk about it after we get the Snow Seven Grass."
Not long after the two finished chatting, Xu Cao came back, and brought back a pretty girl with him. She was a little thin, and had a pair of particularly round eyes. She looked at them with innocence and clarity.
"She is the Xiao Lianxin I told you about. Xiao Lianxin, these two are guests from Xuancheng. Her name is Rong Su, and she should be just a little older than you. And this little brother is Shen Peiqing." Xu Cao introduced them to each other.
After Xu Cao finished his introduction, Lianxin smiled very sincerely and began to gesture, as if she wanted to express something.
Xu Cao saw it and began to explain to them what Lian Xin meant: "Little Lian Xin is saying that you are welcome to come to Wanyue Village. She will cook for you."
After Xu Cao finished speaking, Lianxin smiled happily, then turned around and went out, probably to prepare food.
After Lian Xin left, Rong Su asked, "Miss Lian Xin, can't you speak?"
When this was mentioned, Xu Cao sighed lightly, and there seemed to be a hint of pity for Lianxin on his face.
"Alas. Little Lianxin is also a miserable child. When she was five years old, her parents went out to sea to fish and never came back. At that time, she fell ill. Her wicked uncle didn't care whether she lived or died. After she had a high fever, she could no longer speak."
As Xu Cao spoke, his eyes cast towards the wooden window, a hint of sadness lingering in his eyes. "Xiao Lianxin is a very good girl. She saw that I was lonely, and that a man couldn't sew or cook well, so she always came to help me. I felt sorry for her, so I studied medicine. On the one hand, I could occasionally treat the villagers and earn some copper coins or exchange them for seafood, and on the other hand, I wanted to see if there was any way to help Xiao Lianxin cure her illness."
After listening, Rong Su understood Lianxin's situation.
While they were chatting, Shi Tou came back.
Shi Tou seemed to have given something to Shen Peiqing, and then Lian Xin came over and invited them to have dinner at her house.
Then they went to Lianxin's home.
The furnishings in Lianxin's house and Xucao's house are not much different, and they are both clean and tidy. There is also a small stove in the middle with charcoal burning. The whole house is warm as if the sun is shining, very comfortable.
After eating, Rong Su saw Lianxin busy washing the dishes, so she was not idle either, so she went to help Lianxin.
We came to the small kitchen. Although it was small, it had everything we needed and was full of life.
I saw Lianxin sitting on a low stool, washing dishes with her hands in a wooden basin.
Rong Su looked around and found a low stool, so she moved it over, sat next to Lianxin, and extended her hand to help her.
As soon as she stretched out her hand, Lianxin tried to stop her, but it was too late. Her hand had already reached into the wooden basin, but she didn't know that the water in the basin was freezing cold.
Rong Su shrank back suddenly and said in surprise, "Why is the water so cold? Why don't you boil some water to wash?"
As soon as these words came out, Lianxin's pretty face was full of apology and helplessness. She quickly found a handkerchief to wipe her hands, and then gestured with her fingers again. But Rong Su frowned when she saw this. She didn't understand what Lianxin meant at all.
Lianxin also saw that Rong Su didn't understand, so she smiled helplessly, retracted her gesturing hand, dipped her fingers in water, and wrote a line of crooked words on the stone pit on the side.
Rong Su took a look at it curiously. It said: "Sorry. Miss Rong, we don't have enough firewood at home, so I washed with cold water. But don't worry, the water for your bath is ready."
Seeing this, Rong Su suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. She washed the dishes with cold water herself, but instead considered the hot water for bathing for these unexpected guests.